Insomnia cure (OUAH)
by J-Farraday
Summary: Gaster has been insomniac for a couple of days, and it makes him feel very tired and frustrated too. Luckily, his girlfriend Patty may know the perfect remedy to his problem! (Sequel to my "Once Upon A Handplate" story.)


**This story takes place a couple of weeks or so after the finale of my other fic. This one-shot is actually a sequel to my "Once Upon A Handplate" story. If you haven't read it, you'll be pretty much confused by who the other characters are. But to summerize for a bit of context, Gaster is the one from the "Handplates" AU. Only in my AU/story, he never got erased and became good again. Sam and Piper are his (human) adoptive children. And Patty is his girlfriend. :) They're not dating for very long at this point yet. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Gaster belongs to Toby Fox, and his Handplates version belongs to Zarla.**

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It was with an unpleased groan that Gaster opened his eyes and turned his head to have a look at the alarm clock. It was half past ten. Rubbing his eyes, Gaster slowly stood up from his bed and walked to a mirror hanging in the bedroom. He really didn't look his best. He had dark circles under his eyesockets, and his face seemed to be paler than his normal bone color. Gaster looked as though he was sick. But he wasn't. He was merely sleep-deprived. With a sigh, Gaster put his glasses on and slowly walked out of the bedroom, and then downstairs. He found Patty, Sam and Piper in the kitchen, having breakfast.  
"Oh, look who finally woke up." - Patty said with a smile - "Good morning, Gaster."  
"'Morning, everyone." - Gaster replied quietly as he sat down on the free chair.  
Patty handed him his plate of scrambled eggs with muschrooms, and Gaster nodded a bit distantly in gratitude. As Gaster started to eat, Sam tilted his head, and commented:  
"What's with your face? You look horrible."  
"It's always nice to get a genuine compliment in the morning…" - Gaster replied with slight annoyance.  
"You actually don't look well, though." - Piper said on her turn - "Are you okay, Dad?"  
"Not really… I couldn't sleep for about the whole night." - Gaster let out a sigh.  
"The whole night? That can't be, you must be exaggerating." - Sam couldn't help but comment.  
"I am not." - Gaster protest firmly - "I went to bed around 11 pm, and it was after 5 am that I could fall asleep..!"  
"Okay, I... I retrieve what I said…"  
"Alright, Sam, Piper, maybe you should play outside today? So your father can recuperate some of the hours of sleep." - Patty suggested to the twins, who nodded in agreement.  
"I can't just sleep in the middle of the day..!" - Gaster protested.  
"Come on, why not? You're tired, so you need to sleep." - Patty replied - "It's not like you have something to attend?"  
"Fine... You have a point…"  
Patty smiled, satisfied that Gaster would try to sleep. She really didn't want him to exhaust himself more or deteriorate his own health. The twins finished their eggs, and Patty took the dishes to wash them. Sam and Piper then went in the garden, like Patty advised them to. That way, Gaster wouldn't be disturbed if they got too loud. It took a few minutes for Gaster to finish his own plate. He was about to wash his own dish, but Patty took it from his hands.  
"No, I got this. Go get some more sleep." - she said, as she affectionately briefly fondled his cheek.  
Gaster only nodded weakly in response, before leaving the kitchen. Patty watched him cross the living room in the direction of the stairs, feeling concerned for him. Gaster really didn't look good. Patty just hoped, as she washed the last plate, that Gaster would recuperate the missing time of sleep.

Gaster wasn't sure for how long he was lying on his bed, hoping that sleep would take over him. But despite being really tired, he just couldn't fall asleep. He had even closed the curtains in hopes the lack of daylight would help. But it didn't. Gaster gave the alarm clock a glance. It was almost 1 pm. The skeleton let out a frustrated sigh. It was two nights in a row that he barely slept. Well, the night before wasn't as bad as the previous one, but Gaster had still woken up almost every hour and it had taken him around twenty minutes to fall back asleep. The previous night, Gaster simply didn't sleep at all until he passed out at 5 am. The mere five hours of sleep until he woke up in the morning didn't make him feel rested at all. He was having a mild headache. __"What must I do for sleep to catch me already?"__ \- he asked himself. As soon as he thought that, he was forced to open his eyes again with a groan, as he was hearing children screams and yells from the outside. The kids surely got carried away in their playing. Gaster wouldn't be able to fall asleep in those conditions! The skeleton stood up from his bed, opened the curtains and the window, and peeked outside. He could see Sam, Piper, and their friend Pupamy playing chase with tickles involved and they seemed to have lots of fun. Normally, Gaster would've been endeared by the sight, but right now he just wanted them to stop. He spoke the the three kids, making them look up at him.  
"Are you done murdering each other already?" - he asked - "I'm trying to rest!"  
"S-sorry, Dad..!" - Piper apologized.  
"We didn't mean to disturb you, sir." - Pupamy said sheepishly.  
"It's alright, can you just… be quieter when you play?" - Gaster requested, rubbing his forehead.  
"Hmm, maybe we could go play elsewhere? Dad, is it okay if we go play at Pupamy's place?" - Sam asked.  
"Yes, go play there… And I don't want to see you back before dinner time!" - Gaster dismissed them - "Shoo!"  
The kids weren't upset that Gaster shooed them away, because he didn't sound mean. He sounded just very tired, and all the three felt sorry for him. As Gaster saw them go away, he closed the window and laid back on the bed. He closed his eyes and waited. No matter how quiet it was, sleep just wouldn't come. He waited for around thirty minutes, until he decided he had enough. Gaster stood up and decided to go see what Patty was doing. Maybe talking with her would distract him from the thought that he was insomniac. When he descended the stairs, he saw Patty sitting in the living room, painting a picture. The cat monster's right ear twitched as she heard footsteps on the stairs and turned her head to look up at Gaster. The sparks of passion in her eyes quickly turned into a look of concern.  
"Gaster, why aren't you sleeping? Oh dear, you look even worse than this morning…"  
"I tried to fall asleep, but I just can't..!" - Gaster answered with a sigh.  
The skeleton then sat down next to his girlfriend, who put her unfinished painting aside. Patty then cupped Gaster's face between her soft purple hands and studied his features with a concerned frown. After a moment, she said:  
"It looks like you haven't slept in days…"  
"You're not entirely wrong… I couldn't sleep normally for two nights now."  
"I faintly remember you move and turn around in the bed." - Patty said - "So, it was because you couldn't fall asleep?"  
"Yes, poor attempts to find a good position…" - Gaster chuckled sadly - "Sorry, have I woken you up?"  
"Nah, you didn't really… I'd open an eye, but the soft and warm blanket would take me back to dreamland."  
"I envy you, Patty. If only the warmth of a blanket was enough to make me sleep…"  
Gaster sighed almost desperately. Patty immediately wrapped her arms around him in empathy and comfort. Gaster closed his eyes, as he felt her her hands lightly rub his back.  
"You're tense." - Patty suddenly stated.  
"What?"  
"Your body is tense." - Patty said, before pulling away - "Gaster, if you want to fall asleep, you must relax your body."  
"How can I relax, while I'm so frustrated..?" - Gaster replied with a helpless look.  
Patty got thoughtful for a moment. Then, her face lit up, as she got an idea. She looked at Gaster with a smile and said:  
"I know what should help you. There's something that cat monsters do that helps them to relax."  
Gaster crooked an eyebrow in curiosity, while Patty took his hand in hers and led him upstairs. In the bedroom, Patty told Gaster to just lie down flat on his back, to close his eyes and trust her. Gaster was too tired to ask her questions, so he did as she said. Shortly after he laid down, Patty laid on her side right next to him and wrapped her arms around his upper body. She was now lying in a way that her head was resting on Gaster's chest. Before Gaster got the chance to ask her how he'd fall asleep with her being that tightly wrapped around him, he heard a motor-like sound go from her throat. Patty was purring. The skeleton was very surprised by this, so he looked at her and asked with an incredulous look:  
"Patty... Are you seriously __purring__..?"  
"Yes." - Patty answered - "Purring helps us to relax when we can't by other ways."  
"But... how's that supposed to help me..?"  
"When I purr, it sends vibrations throughout my body. If I'm pressed close to you, you'll feel it too." - Patty explained as she looked at him - "Now, close your eyes and don't ask questions. I can't purr while I talk."  
Gaster wanted to protest, but then just let out a sigh. With a satisfied smile, Patty rested her head back on Gaster's chest and resumed her purring. Gaster looked back at the ceiling, before closing his eyes. Now that neither of them spoke or moved, he could feel it. He could feel the gentle vibrations emitted from Patty's throat and chest that spread in the bones of his ribcage. The sensation was unusual but pleasant. Progressively, the tension present in his whole body was easing. Gaster then rested his hand on the top of Patty's blond head and ran it down to the base of her neck, in a gesture of gratitude. Patty smiled a little at his touch. Gaster wanted to repeat the gesture, but he felt like he no longer had the strength to move his arm. He felt good to just lie in his current position.  
"Does that feel good?" - Patty asked him soflty.  
Gaster could just hum in response. He didn't even bother to nod, being in a state of pure bliss. The vibrations running across his ribcage, the even sound of purring, the warmth of Patty's embrace… it all had a lulling effect. Gaster's body was completely limp now. His thinking was slowly becoming messy, but one thought was crystal clear. Being held like this by the woman he loved was a real treat.  
Patty kept purring yet for a little while, and the process actually made her get comfy and sleepy too. But she remembered that it was Gaster she was doing this for, so she chased the doziness away by forcing her eyes open.  
"Gaster?" - she asked in a whisper.  
The skeleton didn't respond. Patty raised her head to see that he fell asleep. His face looked peaceful, his breathing was slow and even. Patty smiled and carefully moved herself from him. Gaster didn't even quiver when Patty removed his glasses to put it on the nightstand. He seemed to be too far gone. The cat woman looked at the soundly asleep skeleton and reached her hand to stroke his face. Gaster moved his head so very slightly, as if leaning to Patty's touch in his sleep. This made Patty smile even more, then she leaned herself closer to him and pressed a light kiss on the corner of his mouth. Gaster didn't move, but Patty could swear she saw a faint glimmer of green in his eyes for a very brief moment.  
"Have nice dreams, Gaster." - she whispered, before leaving the bedroom and let her beloved sleep for the rest of the afternoon.

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**A/N: I got inspired for this one-shot by my general knowledge about cats. ^^ I did read about purring functions before, and I thought that Patty's ability to purr would turn out useful for Gaster in situations like this one.**  
**You all know that cats purr in pleasure when being pet, for example. But this is not the only reason why a cat would purr. Sometimes, they do that when they're stressed or in pain, and purring eases the pain. Because when a cat starts to purr, it slows down their heartbeat rythm and it relaxes their body, sending vibrations through it. This is actually why cats suffer less from bone illnesses than dogs. Purring does good to their bones! It would also have the function of a smile. They express their wellbeing that way. (On a sadder note, cats also purr shortly before dying. :( )**  
**With this information in mind, I came up with this story. When Gaster's too stressed or his body's too tense, Patty would purr for him, to help him relax. And as you can see, it works! :D**  
**Since Patty can smile like humans and other monsters, she doesn't purr nearly as aften as normal cats do, since she simply doesn't need doing that. But even for other reasons, she barely does, considering her easy and joyful personality. ^^ ****I imagine that cat monsters in general don't purr as much as regular cats either. In my headcanon, that would be either if they're particularily agitated, or when they need to ease a pain (the time medicine takes effect). In other circumstances, they deal with normal stress by regular human means. **


End file.
